This is a weekly feature that will highlight The Good, The Bad and The *fill in the blank* exciting things that are currently happening in the NHL. Are pancakes the next big threat to hockey players? Is there a cure for fan rage? Why is Mike Duco the only vampire on the Canucks … surely he must have turned someone by now. Hockey: it makes us laugh, cry and bleed.

The Good: Your Team Winning

The best part of being a fan is the feeling of utter adulation that washes over you when your team wins. Be it a single game or the furthest goal that awards the most coveted trophy at the end of a lengthy and often grueling season, winning is awesome. Along with the intense satisfaction of being able to gloat in the faces of friends who happen to despise your favorite team, a win provides an opportunity to bond with your fellow fans and celebrate. It is a joyous occasion and it should be. Sometimes there is even a parade.

Winning athletes and teams should be celebrated. As fans that merely observe the game, we are mostly ignorant to the effort it takes to compete at an extremely intense professional level. It may look straightforward at times (we all scream for them to just pass, or skate harder or shoot the puck) but nothing about professional sports is easy. The best winners are gracious. The best fans of said winners should be as well. I made sure to reach out to my friend who is a fan of a particular team that my favorite team played against last Saturday, but I left it at just a few texts. I knew when to stop … once he admitted my team was better.

The Bad: Your Team Losing

As a fan, it can be quite difficult to grasp the reality that your favorite team just lost. Given that we are inclined to feel emotions and all. It sucks. Sometimes it can even put you in a bad mood and make you want to smash things repeatedly. The bigger the stage that the loss takes place on, the worse the gut-wrenching feeling is and the longer it takes to stop crying being angry. Though even losing a single game can be devastating, especially if the loss comes at the hands of an opponent that is really beneath you… ahem several teams that the Canucks have lost to this season.

But such is life. Balance must exist in all things in order for the world to spin happily on its ever tilting axis. Loss is inevitable. The assortment of emotions that a fan feels is miniscule compared to what the athletes endure. They have far more invested, but being professionals they understand that it is all part of the game and they know how to conduct themselves appropriately. Right?

Everything that goes around comes around. Even luck. The next time your team loses, just stay calm and remember what Bryzgalov the Wise once had to say.

And Is It News?

Remember the days before the internet existed when we had to rely on television and newspapers to report what was happening in the world? In those days the news was truly informative because it had to be. Then technology came along and changed us into the creatures that we are today, lurking in basements and making things up just because we can. Now, the instant it takes for a thought to occur is the same amount of time it takes for that thought to be broadcast to the entire world. Do people really need to know that you are out of toilet paper or that you got really drunk last night and flashed a random stranger, or that you are at the doctor’s getting a wart removed?

The internet is equally annoying when it comes to hockey ‘news’. Here are the things that I am tired of hearing about:

The Bruins being the toughest team in the NHL. Why aren’t they called the Boston Brutes then?

The Canucks being the most hated team in the NHL. It’s because they are all so handsome isn’t it?

Sidney Crosby’s health status, specifically how there is no timeline for his return. Until he comes back on the ice it is not ‘new’ therefore not ‘news’.

Vancouver’s goalie controversy. There are two great goalies. Big whoop.

Ottawa Senators: the darlings of the NHL All Star game votes. Yawn.

The Winnipeg Jets as favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year. Ok maybe this is just from the few Jets fans in my office.

Is there a chance that any of these topics will go away? Not until some blogger steps up and starts a new rumor. Or until Sidney Crosby actually does return. Hopefully it will be before the Jets win the Cup.

If you are looking for advanced stats you won't find them here. Marda grew up watching hockey with her dad in Alberta before coming to her senses, becoming a Canucks fan and moving to Vancouver. Warning: she is cursed with optimism and will tirelessly believe in her favorite team despite how many times they fail. She can be found on twitter as @BurrowsGirl.